


And Some Clean Underwear

by Kintatsujo



Series: Where Did You Come From [2]
Category: Kamen Rider OOO
Genre: Eiji's grandpa is a little crazy, Gen, Pre-Canon, Speculation, but in a good way, short chapters are short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-30
Updated: 2013-05-30
Packaged: 2017-12-13 10:57:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/823524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kintatsujo/pseuds/Kintatsujo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, your reach didn't have to extend all that far.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes on where this started from in the last chapter.

It was a bright, clear day on the road to Kyoto. Gravel on the roadside crunched underfoot, the trees were in the full green of summer, and it was a fairly temperate day.

Most importantly, he had his grandson at his side, the eleven-year old trotting slightly to keep up, and a bit of money wrapped carefully in the clean underwear he'd tucked into his pocket. It was all the old man needed.

"Why are we going to Kyoto on foot, Grandfather?" the boy asked, and the old man smiled.

"I like walking," he said. "It gets you closer to what's important. Besides, you're always so cooped up in one of your father's limosines or fancy apartments, I thought you could use some fresh air for a few days. We'll camp out at night, fish when we're by the water, and I'll do a few odd jobs in the towns we pass if it happens that I run out of money. You did bring clean underwear like I told you, right, Eiji?"

Eiji nodded, eyes wide in that innocent expression of youth. The old man smiled wider, so full of love that he couldn't help it. "That's all we need, then. We'll take it one day at a time."

It was, from where they'd started, three days. The old man had suspected he wouldn't get the boy away from his tutors for more than seven, and wasn't especially keen to be hunted down. So, then-- three days to Kyoto, a day there, and three days back. It was important, he thought, that the journey would take longer than their stay. Eiji would learn more on this seven day trip than his tutors--or that pricey school his father sent him to-- could teach him in seven months.

It was the second day that they encountered the car. Several other vehicles had passed by, as if it wasn't there, while the mother looked from car to road to her children in the back anxiously.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with it," she told the old man tearfully. Eiji was smiling and waving to the children, a pair of toddlers, who shrank back shyly. "And I can't leave them _here_ , but I don't know what else to do! My phone was lost yesterday and the nearest towing truck is in the next town, two hours on foot!"

His heart went out to her. "My grandson and I are already heading that way," the old man said, putting a light hand on her arm to comfort her. "What's the name of the towing company?"

She hugged him, sobbing.

They made sure to ride with the man, to make sure that he found her. He offered her a little of the money in his pocket, which she refused, so instead he and Eiji bought her and her toddlers lunch, which she couldn't refuse. It was late when they were on the road again, red sunlight fingers about to flash out behind the mountains in just an hour or so, but the old man knew it would be a full moon. They'd make up the time.

"A bunch of other cars passed that lady without even stopping to see what was wrong," Eiji commented, sounding bothered. "Grandfather, why? It wouldn't have taken them two hours to help her."

The old man shrugged. "The fact is, not everyone realizes how far their reach extends," he said. "And some people prefer to think they don't have any reach at all."

Eiji frowned, and looked down at his hands. "But we didn't do much. That town was already on the road to Kyoto."

"Sometimes, grandson, a little bit is all the help a person needs. But you have to be willing to offer."

The boy reached forward, taking his grandfather's hand and leaning into him as they walked. "I'm glad we helped them," he said.

The old man smiled. "So am I."


	2. Chapter 2

"But Takeshi-san, aren't I supposed to respect my elders? _Especially_ my grandfather."

The old man's fingers paused just before touching the doorknob. Takeshi was the head of his son's house staff, and nominally in charge of what went into Eiji's upbringing. The old man was not especially fond of him.

"Of course, young master," the stuffy voice of Takeshi answered in a careful tone. "But it is... rather _unseemly_ for the son of a member of the Japanese Diet to wander through rivers chasing after frogs. And your grandfather is a bit..."

The old man gripped the handle and swung the door open with a cheerful smile. "Good morning, grandson! Ready to go hiking like I promised?"

"Grandfather!" Eiji cried, and ran across the room to throw his arms around his grandfather's waist. The old man stroked his soft dark hair with a smile.

"Good morning, Hino-sama," Takeshi murmured. "I was just explaining to the young master that he might not be able to accompany you on many more of your... walkabouts."

The old man narrowed his eyes, but kept smiling. "And whyever not? Has my son said something?"

The servant's eyes flickered to the side, and the old man knew that his son had never said a word. He rarely did. "There comes a time when a young man must set aside the things of his childhood and begin on the journey toward maturity," Takeshi said.

"These trips build character and show my grandson what the world outside walls is like," the old man retorted sharply. "Let him decide if they're part of his journey or not."

The child's big brown eyes turned upward, shining, toward Takeshi. "Takeshi-san, pleeeze? It's the most I get to _see_ Grandfather!"

Takeshi stared at Eiji, mouth gone just slightly slack. Something in his eyes made the old man believe his words when Takeshi sighed, and said, "I only have the young master's best interests in mind." At further staring from those pleading eyes, he continued, "But I am not your father. I can't say to you outright that you may not go, even if I dislike it."

The old man suspected that Eiji hadn't heard a word after "I am not your father." The child whooped victoriously, hugged his grandfather around the waist again, and trampled out of the room.

"Grandfather! I'll see you by the back door!"

"Okay, Eiji!" the old man called back. Then he turned to Takeshi. "Thank you for your hard work," he said, but he frowned as he said it.

Takeshi frowned back.


	3. Chapter 3

The old man couldn't understand the finery and opulance his son had surrounded himself with, even in his home office, which somehow managed both "austere" and "materialistic" in the same desk, chairs, windows. It matched his son, of course, wearing a suit he'd bought in Paris and keeping his hair in a respectable style.

He'd been _sure_ he hadn't raised his son towards such petty desires.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, son," he said, and dropped himself down onto one of the couches across the room in favor of the hard chair that his son liked to keep across from the desk. It was intended to be uncomfortable, to make whoever was sitting there feel even more like they were inferior.

The old man saw no reason to let his own son try a ploy like that on him.

"Father," the man said, and rose from his desk to come around and stand in front of the old man's couch. "I understand you've been taking my son on weeklong trips during his school breaks? And you've been dragging him all over rural Japan."

The old man shrugged. Takeshi really was getting too big for his britches. "Just thought Eiji could use a firsthand education about the country," he said calmly.

His son's face reddened slightly. "The boy's almost thirteen, father. Isn't he getting a little too old for dirty knees?"

He snorted derisively. "He's hardly ever getting _dirty knees_ , if that's really the problem, son. Dirty hands, sure, and a dirty face if he rolls off his sleeping blanket in the middle of the night, but we'd hardly ever get anywhere if he was on his _knees_ all the time."

"He needs his education," the old man's son said.

"He's getting it," the old man retorted. "A weeklong break for the part of his brain that you're cramming all the time to relax, plus experiences that can teach him empathy for people not of his station. I doubt your hired hands could teach him that." He doubted his _son_ could teach the boy that. Where had the old man gone wrong with this one?

Just not enough time in the world, he supposed.

"Father," the old man's son said, obviously trying to sound patient but not doing very well. "It's not especially dignified. My public image--"

" _Your_ public image?" the old man demanded, angry now. "Your son is being raised by your servants and _me_ , barely sees you enough to know whether you even _like_ him, and the thing you're most concerned about is that camping trips he and _I_ take together might _sully your public image?_ I'm his grandfather, son!"

"You're _crazy_ is what you are!"

The room fell silent, and they stared at one another, the old man stunned, the young man still angry.

"Sleeping by the road like a-- like a homeless man! Camping out in parks! Wrapping your money in your underwear and taking nothing but that in your _pockets_ and acting-- and acting like that's civilized travel! _Walking_ to Kyoto?! You take longer getting there than you have time to spend there! You have money, you're the man who taught me how to _earn!_ You don't need to live like this! Where the hell did _your_ dignity go?"

All the old man could do was shake his head. "I'm sorry, son. I've clearly failed you."

"Damn straight you have," his son snapped. He didn't understand at all. He just... didn't understand. The old man didn't know why he hadn't seen it before. "I don't like speaking so harshly with you, father, but maybe now you can see that you need to pick yourself up and stop acting so foolishly."

"I'm not the fool here, son," the old man said bitterly. How could he have failed his son so thoroughly? "You've lost sight of what's important in your life. You've let your greed for power and possessions get in your way."

Now the younger man was taken aback. His mouth worked for a moment, like there were too many things to say. Finally he settled on, "Sometimes, I can't believe that I'm your son."

The old man shrugged. "Sometimes, niether can I."


	4. Chapter 4

The old man did keep a place to return to-- not an especially fancy apartment or a big house, both of which he could have easily afforded-- but a nice, small set of rooms over a flower shop. Technically he owned the building and was renting it to the shopkeeper, who also kept an eye on his rooms. Small. Manageable. But a place where his son or grandson could rely on to find him... eventually.

If his son ever spoke to him again. If Eiji was ever allowed to. It had been two months since the argument and he hadn't heard a word.

Until Eiji showed up on the fire escape.

"Grandson!" the old man exclaimed, embracing him. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," the boy said, grinning as he hugged back. "Did you and Dad have a fight?"

The old man felt his mouth twist and thought about it. "Sometimes," he said, "Your father and I don't see eye to eye. How did you get here? You've never been on the bus on your own."

Eiji gave him a strange look. "I _walked_ , Grandfather."

The old man found himself grinning. "Of course you did. Was that the first time you've walked so far through Tokyo? How did you like it?"

The boy grinned back. "It was pretty cool. I saw all sorts of people, all sorts of things you don't notice just going through in a car. And I got lunch off a ramen cart-- I never did by myself before."

He felt a warm sort of pride, but it was quickly overshadowed by concern. "Eiji... does anyone else know you're here?"

Eiji just shrugged. "They wouldn't have let me come if I'd said anything."

"Your father's going to worry," the old man said.

"Maybe," Eiji answered, in a way that sounded more like _No, he won't._ The old man's heart broke, just a little.

"He probably will," he insisted. "Why don't you sit down and eat something, and I'll call someone at your father's house. You've been gone since this morning, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Eiji said. "I just didn't go in when they dropped me off at school. We have some time."

"I'm sure your teachers noticed you were missing," the old man said, and laughed at the crestfallen look on his grandson's face. "Oh, Eiji. It was a pretty good escape plan, even if I can't approve of you skipping school, even for me. But I'm sure they really are worried about you, and I really do have to call them."

"Okay, Grandfather," Eiji sighed. Then concern darkened his young round face. "I hope you and Dad don't get into another fight because of this. I miss you."

He loved his grandson so much that at times like this he thought he'd burst apart. He sat the boy down at his little table and put an arm around him. "I've missed you too, Eiji," he said. "And I don't like having arguments with your father. I'll try to keep that from happening this time."

Fortunately, he only had to deal with Takeshi. He didn't like the man at all, but he could deal with him without anger, even knowing the head servant had probably been the one to point out how "undignified" Eiji was becoming to the boy's father.

At least Takeshi seemed to actually _care_ about the child, something made evident by the almost tearful sigh of relief that escaped when the old man explained.

"I should have known he would go to you if he went anywhere," Takeshi said, sounding shaken. "To be honest, I'd assumed he'd been kidnapped and didn't even think to call you."

The old man chuckled. "He only just made it here," he said. "He walked, and apparently wandered around a little before finding exactly the right way. You'd have just ended up with _both_ of us worried."

"I'll send a car right away," Takeshi said. "Thank you so much for calling me, Hino-sama."

"Of course," the old man snorted.

They managed a fast game of _shogi_ before the car showed up. Eiji flashed him a grin and waved as he finally left, calling, "I'll see you soon, Grandfather!"

The old man smiled. It probably wasn't true, but it was nice to think about.


	5. Chapter 5

A few years later, the old man sold the building to his old apartment to the young man who'd been renting the first floor for his flower shop. The shopkeeper had found a nice girl and needed a nicer place to live, and the old man was getting older. He still walked all the time, of course, but stairs were turning into a challenge.

So he moved closer to his son's family, buying a modestly sized traditional home, and let his son think he'd finally regained his senses. Now Eiji could come over whenever he felt like it, sometimes bringing a friend, but more often not.

They didn't go on trips anymore, of course. High school was, and should be, in the old man's opinion, more time-consuming than the previous grades. The boy was making his own friends, learning what his dreams were, and even without that his breaks were often crowded in with a certain amount of extracurricular activities having to do with schoolwork.

There was one wrinkle that bothered the old man, though.

"Dad's talking about making you move in with us," Eiji said. "He says he has a responsibility to take care of you in your old age."

The old man snorted. "I'm doing just fine."

The youth-- now so tall and handsome, black hair falling in his face-- looked down at his tea. "He has some points, though. You are getting older," he said quietly. "What if something happens to you, and nobody's here?"

The old man decided not to comment on the fact that his son was probably more worried about what people would think if they saw a prominent politician not taking care of his father. Eiji really didn't know what kind of a petty person his father was, and the old man wasn't inclined to disillusion him if he didn't have to. "I'll waste away with people fussing over me all the time. I'd be more comfortable having someone _here_ , but it doesn't seem appropriate to hire a maid just for this little place."

Eiji sipped his tea solemnly, and they sat in somber silence for a moment. Then he brightened.

"I know," he said. "I have this friend--he's not exactly a friend from school; I met him at one of our fairs--who's having trouble at home. Most nights he doesn't even go home, he just finds a different friend to stay the night with." Eiji rubbed the back of his head a little self-consciously. "He's been over to my house a few times, although I don't think Takeshi-san likes him."

The old man chuckled. "Are you suggesting I let some youth I've never met sleep in my house, so he can call an ambulance if I ever have a heart attack?"

"You've met him," Eiji said earnestly, although he blushed a little at the way his grandfather phrased it. "Agito-kun, remember? Messy hair he dyes brown, tall, kinda starved looking?"

He _had_ met him a few times. "I'll think about it," he said with a smile. His grandson, always trying to help out as many people as he could. "Just ask him if it's okay with him."

"Sure," Eiji said, in a way that sounded more like _Why wouldn't it be?_

"I doubt your father would approve," he pointed out.

Eiji just shrugged. "It would be better than the two of you yelling at each other while you lived in the same house," he answered.

That was true, and the old man laughed.

"Anyway, that way you're both helping each other," Eiji said. "I can't think of a better outcome."

The old man grinned, so full of love for his grandson that he couldn't help it. "That's very true. I'd be glad to help him."

Eiji smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

Eiji Hino looked down at his grandfather's photograph, sitting on the coffin, and shook his head with a small smile. They hadn't been able to find anything more recent that his father could suffer to see sitting there, and so it was an old picture, when his hair had still been mostly dark and Eiji's grandmother had still been alive.

In every picture taken of the man in Eiji's lifetime, he'd been wearing a worn shirt and a fishing jacket. Eiji thought it would've been more appropriate, but there wasn't much about this wake that made him think of his grandfather.

Maybe if his father had let him put a pair of clean folded underwear on the coffin, but of course that was out of the question. Eiji had secretly visited the undertaker and had slipped a pair into the old man's pocket anyway. He wouldn't be needing money anymore, of course. He'd left it all to Eiji's friend, the one who'd been having trouble and had moved in with him a couple years ago.

All you needed for each day was a little money and some clean underwear. It had occured to Eiji more than once that his grandfather might have been a little crazy, but he thought there was a beautiful kind of wisdom to it and honestly didn't care.

The thing was, Eiji had quite a _lot_ of money. More than _he_ needed each day, at any rate.

It was time to see how far he could reach with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the first OOO fic I actually STARTED is this crazy Ankh Revival fic with shades of PTSD and actual alchemy, which I totally researched for the sole purpose of writing that fic. Then I write a bunch of stuff like this. (And I haven't finished THAT one yet.)
> 
> But the thing is, watching OOO--as well as researching alchemy for that fic--got me and my older brother reinterested in a tokusatsu tribute setting we'd put together back in college just for fun. And at some point I suddenly realized that two of the extant characters could be seen as a parallel to Eiji and his grandfather, and I started thinking, completely against my better judgement, about what kind of a man Eiji's grandfather must have been.
> 
> The whole process behind writing Multiking only made me want to write this fic more, but it only recently really clicked into place. So here it is. :)


End file.
